Biography

American actress Alicia Witt, primarily recognized on television for her role as Zoey Woodbine on Cybill, started her ascent to stardom earlier than most celebrities. Born to a mother who once held the world record for having the longest hair, Alicia herself accomplished extraordinary feats as a child.…more

When she was two years old, Alicia was featured in Good Housekeeping magazine as being their youngest reader, after having written them a letter. In February 2000, she was the cover photo for Stuff Magazine.

Alicia Witt studied piano at Boston University and entered several classical piano competitions, national and international, winning some of them, including the Bartok-Kabalevsky International Piano Competition.

After Kate Hudson passed on playing Mary Jane Watson in Spider-Man, the role was offered to Alicia Witt, who also turned it down. The part later on went to Kirsten Dunst, who had to audition for this role.

Her parents are Robert, a photographer and science teacher, and Diane Witt, a reading teacher in junior high. Her mother was in the Guiness Book of World Records from 1988 to 1996 for having the world's longest hair. She has one brother, Ian, who appeared alongside her in the 1991 movie Liebestraum.

Alicia Witt: (On filming "Fun") We shot it in eight days. It was such an intense experience I didn't have time to get out of character at all. I felt like I was going crazy at night when I went to bed, because I was Bonnie. I couldn't leave Bonnie's skin. Our dressing rooms were detention center cells. The prison scenes were all shot at the Los Angeles Detention Center for Youths in downtown L.A. - really horrible neighborhood - and I saw all the prisoners in their orange jumpsuits, which meant they had killed someone, and they were all looking at us pretending we were prisoners and they hated us for that. It just felt like we were making a documentary. It didn't feel like a real film.

Alicia Witt: My parents knew I was into music and they felt that I should be taking piano lessons, but they couldn't really afford a piano. We were lucky to end up getting a Baldwin piano lent to us. I played, like, four hours a day and I started entering classical piano competitions and actually went on several national ones. It was something I took really seriously.

Alicia Witt: I'm addicted to Whole Foods vegan chicken curry. It's in the deli section. So I don't prepare that part from scratch, but often if I'm alone my dinner will be just some of that with some raw broccoli or hummus or baba ghanoush or just lightly steamed broccoli with garlic, olive oil, and salt and pepper.

Alicia Witt: I like to play any character that allows me the freedom to explore it and teach the audience something they didn't know, and show them a journey they identify with... or be inspired, or moved. Anything that touches someone's heart is important for me.

Alicia Witt: On-screen relationships are the best because you don't have to worry about saying the wrong things. And if the guy's got a girlfriend, or I'm not attracted to him, it's even better. It's just my character kissing his character.

Alicia Witt: If you're an actor and you have a good head on your shoulders, which I do, there's a tendency for people to assume you must be incredibly bright. Which I'm really not; I'm just not stupid.

Alicia Witt: (on her sex scene in "Cecil B. DeMented") I'm just happy that for the rest of my life, I will be able to say that I did a John Waters film and I played a porn star named Cherish who had a sex scene with a gerbil.

Alicia Witt: (on choosing acting as a profession) I think it comes from being fascinated with human nature, and I love performing. I love the social aspects of making a film. There's nothing like the bonds you make when you're working with someone that closely for a period of a few months.

Alicia Witt: I don't consider myself to be a quote-unquote good girl. I'm not prim and proper and polite. I'm very honest, and I love talking about sex, or people's deviances. I love psychology. I like listening to or talking about any personality traits that are unusual. That's what I like about acting.

Alicia Witt: A guy's got to smell good. Self-confidence and a self-deprecating sense of humor turn me on, but so does his scent. I always like to borrow clothing from my boyfriends so I can smell them all day.

Alicia Witt: I like to play any character that allows me the freedom to explore it and teach the audience something they didn't know, and show them a journey they identify with...or be inspired, or moved. Anything that touches someone's heart is important for me.

Embarrased I never knew her name.

Wierd how you can watch Twin Peaks and Cybill and never ask yourself who that actress was. When I found out that they would have a (temporary) replacement for Jullianne Nicholson on Law and Order, I was skeptical- temps tend to really ruin some seasons of a good show.... but upon seeing the press materials, my interests were peaked. And having just watched the introduction of Witt's character tonight, I am sold. I love redheads- Laura Prepon, Gillian Anderson, etc- maybe I stereotype them as being exotic- but with such a naturalistic, playful, and (really) refreshing performance on Law and Order, I think a fun actress opposite Chris Noth is the kind of exotic that I am all for.moreless

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